Foley-Oh

I'm sure my many readers want to know what I think about the Mark Foley scandal, so here are my quick thoughts:

1. The young adults in the Page Program are not little innocent dolls; they are young adults. They are at the age where they are learning life's ugly truths, and this is one of them: Sometimes old men with power view teenagers as sexual objects. This isn't a political issue, it's human nature.

2. These kids are old enough to say "Stop sending me these messages or I will blackmail you with them for the rest of your life." This is a country where we prosecute fifteen year old juveniles as adults for criminal acts. That's plenty old enough for the kid to know how to stop this type of advance from an older man or woman.

3. The Democrats should use this as another example of the Republican's lapse of ethical accountability. In addition, the Dems should be discussing the broader issue of sexual harassment in the workplace and encouraging every victim to come forward.


It seems like the Democrats have been trying to say that this wouldn't happen under their watch. I don't think that's the case at all. I think this can and will happen to the Dems someday, and then they will be viewed as hypocrites. I'd much rather the Dems say that sexual harassment is a legitimate issue that affects straights, gays, women, men, old, and young. This is a nonpartisan issue, and the Dems should take this opportunity to show that they work for all of us, and not just the people on Capitol Hill.